Use dialogue to settle Apaa land dispute – Archbishop Odama

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gulu Archdiocese Archbishop Dr. John Baptist Odama has asked the government to dialogue instead of using force to settle the Apaa land dispute.

Archbishop Odama’s call comes just days after the government ordered all locals occupying the contentious 40 square kilometers of land to vacate within 90 days or be kicked out forcefully.

The cabinet resolution was delivered on Wednesday by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja during a meeting with leaders and locals in Amuru District. The government contends that the locals are illegally occupying Zoka Forest reserve in Adjumani district.

But Archbishop Odama says the decisions were reached before all the avenues of dialogue between the government, Acholi, and Madi leaders aimed at settling the disputes had been fully exhausted.

Odama says without the use of force to evict the locals, the government can still engage in peaceful dialogue that won’t lead to the spill of blood between the Acholi and Madi communities.

Odama says the recent government decision may see a split and resurgence of violence between the community of Acholi and Madi who have been living in harmony for a long period of time.

The cabinet resolution to evict the people from Apaa land was first issued in May 2019 by then Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda who was also heading a presidential committee on Apaa land. The resolution was however vehemently rejected by both the locals and area leaders in Acholi Sub-region prompting the government to suspend its implementation pending further review.

According to Archbishop Odama, it remains unclear if Nabbanja’s decision includes reports from all the subcommittees instituted to find lasting peace over Apaa land and most recently the cultural institutions of Acholi and Madi.

In August last year, President Yoweri Museveni gave out 100 million Shillings each to the two cultural intuitions to facilitate a dialogue that will result in a peaceful end to the long conflicts over Apaa land.

The Acholi Cultural Institution Prime Minister Ambrose Olaa says they are surprised that the government made a decision that had earlier been rejected without consulting stakeholders in the region including the cultural institution.

Olaa notes that decision undermines the trust the President had put in the cultural intuitions of Madi and Acholi who were yet to submit their reports pertaining to the conflict and the best ways of mitigating it before the government comes out with a final position.

The Minister for Local Government Raphael Magyezi who had accompanied Nabbanja on Wednesday told leaders that the Apaa market situated in the contested area will be closed in the coming 30 days and urged traders to leave.

According to the Cabinet resolution, the government has earmarked 2.5 Billion Shillings to compensate verified genuine households with 10 million Shillings, 20 iron sheets, and 20 bags of cement to enable them to relocate to different areas.

The Kilak South Member of Parliament Gilbert Olanya however told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Friday that they won’t allow their people to receive the money citing it’s a mockery by the government.

He also notes that as leaders, they will mobilize their people to resist the forceful eviction arguing that they intend to table their grievances before President when he visits Gulu City next week.

Dispute over Apaa land dates back to 2012 when Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers stormed the area and evicted residents claiming they were encroaching on East Madi Wildlife Reserve located in Adjumani District.

Tension however escalated in October 2017 when the area, formerly claimed by locals as part of Pabbo Sub-county in Amuru District was demarcated and handed to Adjumani District by the then Local Government Minister Tom Butime. Over the years, the conflict has left ugly marks of injuries, displacement of locals, and destruction of properties and so far 20 deaths recorded.

Leaders in Amuru are however questioning the impacts of several interventions put in place by the government in seeing to an end to the decade-long conflict in the area that hosts some 26,000 people according to an unofficial door-to-door census.

At least three different committees have been instituted by the government to find lasting solutions to the land conflict since 2017.

They included a special select committee of Parliament appointed by former Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, a special Presidential Committee headed by former Premier Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, and a committee led by former Speaker of Parliament late Jacob Oulanyah.

In 2021, President Museveni, in a move to settle the land dispute directed the establishment of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the land conflict in Apaa and come out with appropriate solutions for everlasting peace. However, to date, the commission is yet to carry out its work.

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